Almost as much food was collected in Dublin’s Catholic parishes on the weekend of December 6th and 7th, as in three collections last year.
To date, 120 tonnes has been collected and donations are still arriving at Crosscare, the care agency of the Dublin archdiocese.
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has described it “as a remarkable tribute to the generosity of the Mass-going Catholics of the archdiocese of Dublin.”
On December 1st last, at Crosscare’s first food bank on Dublin’s Portland Row, he appealed to parishioners to donate food to assist those most in need in the archdiocese this Christmas. He launched the appeal after a request from Crosscare for basic food items for families.
In the past 12 months Crosscare has set up four new food banks along the east coast. It expected to distribute over 1,200 tonnes of food by the end of this year. The figure for 2013 was 750 tonnes.
Increased demand
The first ever such diocesan food appeal was made by
Archbishop Martin
in December last year but demand for basic food items had increased so much in 2014, it was felt another appeal was necessary to keep food banks adequately stocked.
Parishioners brought food to their local parish at Mass times on the 6th and 7th of December, which Crosscare has since collected.
Food requested and donated included pasta/rice, tea/coffee, soup, tinned meat/fish, tinned veg/fruit and biscuits.
Crosscare staff and volunteers have been redistributing the donations to food banks, St Vincent de Paul, homeless projects and 70 other charities in Dublin city and county.
